Giant Buakaw stuns New York on Times Square billboard
Buakaw Banchamek has become the first Thai boxer to grace the famous digital billboard in New York’s Times Square. The advert has been towering above the Manhattan landmark since Thursday, promoting the Muay Thai legend’s return to the ring.
The digital billboard showcases the upcoming Rajadamnern World Series (RWS) Muay Thai boxing tournament in Bangkok, scheduled to start on August 19.
Buakaw will make his comeback in the RWS tournament, which carries a winner’s purse of 1 million baht.
Up to 450,000 people pass through Times Square each day, making it a prime spot for advertisers seeking to draw eyeballs.
A billboard here can range in cost from $5,000 (183,000 baht) per day to well over $50,000, according to advertising company Inspiria. Typically, the minimum amount of money required to advertise for 1-3 days ranges from $5,000 to $25,000.
Meanwhile, the intersection has drawn between 125,000 and 190,000 pedestrians daily even during the pandemic, according to the Times Square District Management Association.
Pre-Covid, the tourist landmark saw over 360,000 people per day and as many as 450,000 on the busiest days of the year.